The Mission of Savonarola

The Mission of Savonarola

Schmidt Number: S-1854

On-line since: 15th December, 2014

The Mission of Savonarola

Rudolf Steiner Archive Document

Lectures Section

This previously untranslated lecture is from the lecture series entitled,
Answers to Universal Questions and Life Questions through Anthroposophy,
published in German as,
Die Beantwortung von Welt- und Lebensfragen Durch Anthroposophie.
It is lecture 5 of 19 lectures given by Rudolf Steiner at various cities
throught Austria and Germany in the years 1908–1909.

By Rudolf Steiner

Translated by Hanna von Maltitz
Bn 108.5; GA 108; CW 108

This previously untranslated lecture is from the lecture series
entitled,
Answers to Universal Questions and Life Questions through
Anthroposophy,
published in German as,
Die Beantwortung von Welt- und Lebensfragen Durch Anthroposophie.
It is lecture 5 of 19 lectures given by Rudolf Steiner at various cities
throught Austria and Germany in the years 1908–1909. Nine of the
lectures in this series remain untranslated.

The
word “mission” is perhaps not quite the correct
term for our examination of this extraordinary phenomenon at
the end of the fifteenth century. Perhaps regarding connections
to Savonarola's personality could urge us to say these links
would be far more important than defining the mission of
Savonarola. This other aspect could come to the fore as soon as
members of our Anthroposophic world-view and world movement
make themselves familiar with the being of Savonarola because
out of his actions and characteristics various things can be
learnt. In a being such as Savonarola's we may see the dawn of
a new time and up to what point the development of Christianity
had reached by the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of
the sixteenth century. It is exactly clear what kind of
activity was not effective. We can see what kind of activity
was introduced into the development of mankind.

It
is necessary to show how certain one-sided influences regarding
the empowering and the presentation of Christianity became
unsuitable. It didn't take long — with some single
thorough strokes we would like to regard Savonarola's actions.
Beside Savonarola we can place another figure, quite different
in nature, of a Dominican monk. This monk of the monastery from
which Savonarola's serious speeches were published, had painted
the most wonderful, delicate paintings:
Fra Angelico da Fiesole
During this dawn of a new age it indicated how
Christianity revealed itself in two gestures. This is the proof
of how Christianity could be expressed through the soul at this
time. This is one way, but the other way — and this is
Savonarola's way — is how Christianity could be lived
through during this time. One could, if one was such a person
as Savonarola, with certain confidence, a strong will and a
definite clear understanding, act as he did. Still
comparatively young he believed that within such an Order,
where the real rules of the Order should be fulfilled, a true
life in Christianity could be experienced. If one still had
what Savonarola had, the deepest moral courage of conviction,
one could direct one's focus to everything happening in the
world. One could compare Christianity with events happening in
Rome, with the actual worldly life of the Pope, the Cardinals,
or how it expressed itself in the wonderful creations of
Michelangelo! One could observe how in all the catholic
churches Mass was read according to the strictest Cult, giving
people the feeling that they couldn't live without the Cult.
One could also see that whoever came under the robe, the stole
and chasuble, could in their civil lives honour a liberality
but that this liberality which was striven for, seen in today's
eyes, is by contrast mere children's games. One can take that
which from a certain aspect had been striven for as a tendency,
and see it become a reality up to the highest steps of the
altar.

One
could at that time connect the higher worlds in a glowing
belief that was absolutely democratic: domination of the gods
without any human rulers! This was the pull of Savonarola's
heart. The Medici could be admired for all they had done for
Italy and for all they had brought to Italy, but one could
also, like Savonarola, see the great De Medici, of Lorenzo de
Medici, as tyrants. Imagine being Lorenzo de Medici and
considering allowing such a quarrelsome Dominican to preach as
he wished. Lorenzo de Medici was a distinguished thinker. He
could grasp various things, because things should be considered
from both sides. He had drawn Savonarola to Florence but
Savonarola went against the grain from the start in considering
Lorenzo as his patron. When Savonarola became Prior of the
monastery, he didn't even consider making the expected visit of
thanks. When it was explained to him that Lorenzo had called
him to Florence, he said: Do you believe that Lorenzo de Medici
was the one who called Savonarola to Florence? No, it was God
who called Savonarola to this monastery in Florence!

As
a distinguished man Lorenzo donated something to the monastery
and one can imagine Savonarola being calmed by what had been
given to the monastery. However he gave all these gifts away
and announced that the Dominicans were capable of regarding
their vow of poverty and to gather no treasures.

Who
were actually the enemies of Savonarola? All those who created
the configuration and the reign on the physical plane. Nothing
disconcerted Savonarola. He went straight ahead. He said: There
is a Christendom. Its actual form is in fact unknown to people.
The church disfigures it. It must disappear and be replaced by
a new form which would reveal the true Christian spirit.
— He continued preaching these proclamations. Initially
his preaching was with great difficulty because he could only
utter the words from his throat with great effort. However he
became an orator whose following grew continuously, whose
oratory talents increased ever more.

The
ruling powers were initially liberal; they didn't want to
oppose him. It was an Augustinian monk who felt obliged to
deliver a speech which would annihilate Savonarola's power. His
speech was delivered under the theme: “It doesn't befit
us to know the day and hour when the divine Creator got
involved with the world.” This Augustinian monk spoke in
fiery words and one could say, being cognisant of the steams
flooding Christian life, the entire declaration of belief of
the Dominicans domain now opposed that of the Augustinians.
— Savonarola prepared for battle and spoke about the same
theme: “It befits us well to know things are not as they
seem. It befits us to change them and know when the day and
hour arrives.” The Florentine crowds cheered like they
had cheered the Augustinian monk. He wasn't only considered a
danger in Florence but also in Rome and in the whole of Italy.
After the unbelievable agony of torture and falsified evidence
he was condemned to be burnt at the stake.

Thus Savonarola lived while at the same time another Dominican
monk painted a Christianity which hardly exists in the physical
world. When we search for a specific word in our thoughts which
was spoken by an extraordinary man regarding Savonarola, namely
Jacob Burkhardt, the famous Renaissance historian, we can
develop the opinion that life was so extensive in Italy that
you stood directly before secularisation of the church, which
meant the church turning into a worldly organisation, then we
may conclude that Savonarola was the everlasting
conscience of Christianity.

What caused the ineffectiveness of Savonarola despite his fiery
entrance into Christianity? He is a historical figure. This was
the cause: In this dawning of a new age and in this dusk of the
church where Savonarola instilled his Christianity, something
was introduced which worked against the external organisation
of Christianity. This test proves it, not even such a figure as
Savonarola could be produced again in Christianity. The
spiritual-scientifically striving person should learn from this
that there is something else necessary, something objective,
which makes it possible for the deep springs of esoteric
Christianity to be exhausted. Such an instrument can only be
Anthroposophy. The figure of Savonarola is like a distant sign
lit up in the future of what Anthroposophists should be
learning, not through the means which one believed at the time,
to re-discover Christianity, but with the means of
anthroposophical spiritual science. As Anthroposophist one can
learn much from this figure.